Page 20 of My Ex's Best Friend

"We'll sort this out. I'll contact the team in Paris and figure out the best course of action. I need you to trust us on this."

“I trust you, Jake. I know you’re the only one who can deal with it.”

After a few more calming assurances, we finally end the call. I glance at the clock – it's been a relentless morning, and I feel every minute of it.

Before I can catch my breath, Bea enters the room. "Jake, the new hire is here.”

“Great,” I mutter. Just what I need right now.

“Would you like a moment?" She raises a brow.

I rub my temples, the residue of stress still lingering. "No, bring them in. Let's get this started."

"I'll bring in Ms. Crofton, for you." Bea leaves my office with a quick nod. The name hits me like a sudden jolt. Crofton.

A curious mix of surprise and amusement courses through me, and I can't help but smirk to myself. Is this a good omen or a bad one that the candidate has the same surname as Kiera? The universe certainly has a sense of humor.

I quickly pull up my email, fingers tapping against the keyboard.

The admin team handled the hiring, and my busy travel schedule left me out of the loop. The details load on the screen, and my chin drops as a

gasp escapes from the doorway.

I turn, finding the source of the sound. There, standing with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty etched on her features, is my estranged best friend. The one that got away. The love of my life. Kiera Crofton.

Time freezes around us. The world disappears, until it’s just Kiera and me. I don’t see the grown woman walking through the door. No, she’s my best friend with kind blue eyes and hair crisp straight and braided and we are back in high school all over again.

“Kiera,” I breathe as I slowly come up to my feet.

She inhales sharply, and just like that, the bubble around us bursts for good.

“Kiera, I—” Suddenly, I’m transported back to the night everything went wrong, when I couldn’t get the truth out in time.

To my relief, this time, she doesn’t turn away from me. She remains rooted to her spot, her jaw agape.

Clearly, she wasn’t expecting me either.

Five years ago, she was beautiful and the star of my fantasies. Now, she has grown and matured, and she is absolutely fucking gorgeous. A dream come true.

Her blonde hair cascades in loose waves around her shoulders, framing a face with features that have sharpened over the years. Her jaw clenches and unclenches as she looks at me, and I get the strangest urge to run my fingers over it.

Her blue eyes, a shade that mirrors the open sky, hold a depth that wasn't there before. She’s the girl I’ve known since middle school, yet everything has changed.

As our eyes meet, I feel the weight of the past and the tension in the air. The memory of the night we shared, the revelations, the anger, and the hurt resurface like echoes from a distant time. Yet, under all that, I can't deny the rush of familiarity and the old feelings that stir within me.

Several seconds pass as we continue to stare at each other, the time around us frozen.

Kiera finally shatters the spell, rolling her eyes with a touch of sarcasm that cuts through the tension.

"Well, that's just my luck."

Her tone snaps me out of the trance I've been in, and I take a step back, clearing my throat as I try to recalibrate myself. The last thing I need is to make a fool of myself.

Kiera, meanwhile, is still going off. “Here I thought that things were finally going my way, and I show up at my dream job, and here you are, the devil in flesh and blood.”

“This is your dream job?” I ask, bemused.

This seems to piss her off; her teeth gritted, and her eyes narrowed. It’s a miracle that she doesn’t launch herself at me.

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